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For the first time, I have decided to publish a recording of one of my larger works on the internet for free download!:

»The Hope« (»Håbet«) for brass band, chorus, organ, and percussion.
In memory of the »Battle on Rheden« - also know as the »Battle of Copenhagen« - (April 2nd, 1801). The work consists of two parts; the first purely orchestral and the second for chorus and orchestra with lyrics from psalm 27. »The Hope« was commissioned by the Admiral Danish Fleet (Danish Royal Navy's Operative Commando) and the Reformed Church of Copenhagen (where Olfert Fischer, Commander of the Danish fleet, lies buried), commemorating the 200th anniversary, in 2001, of the battle of Copenhagen.

Note: The choir is only active in Part II. It is possible to perform Part I as a "stand alone" piece for brass band and organ, if no choir is available.

My main thought behind the music is to honor and remember the sacrifices and casualties (on both sides) - not only in the gruesome 1801 battle, but in war in general. The premiere performance took place in Reformert Kirke (The Reformed Church), Copenhagen on April 1st, 2001 and was repeated on April 2nd. The recording took place on April 3rd. The orchestra, choir and percussion were placed in all corners of the church, giving a full "surround" experience of much impact. Especially the large bass-drums placed just behind the audience to give the illusion of cannon-fire! During rehearsal two bass drums were destroyed - the score calls for a fffff...

ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

UPDATE, December 14, 2005:

»The Hope« has now been released on the album »Søværnet Ønsker God Vind - med Søværnets Tamburkorps Live« (The Royal Danish Navy Wishes Godspeed - with The Royal Danish Naval Band, Live). The double-CD is however not available for the public to buy in music stores, so »The Hope« must instead be downloaded from here, unless you receive the CD as a gift. Because of that - and to celebrate the (non-public) CD release - I have now re-uploaded the work to the server in an even higher audio quality than before (now virtually indistinguishable from the CD), encoded with the best possible MP3 encoder called "LAME" (see details above).

An excerpt from the booklet:

»Håbet« (The Hope) was commissioned by the Reformed Church and the Royal Navy's Operative Commando in memory of Olfert Fischer on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Battle on Rheden (Battle of Copenhagen) in 1801. Initially the work was scored for brass band, organ and chorus, but in addition to this I used percussion instruments. The percussion came to play a quite special role, since for among other reasons they were placed both in front of and behind the audience. In this way there was a special effect when the bass-drum, sounding from behind the audience, was answered by cymbals in front - and the other way round - backwards and forwards above the audience, as if cannon balls were flying over their heads.
»Håbet« is not pure programme music, but includes even so extremely visual elements in the description of the battle. From the first glimpse of the awe-inspiring English Navy on the horizon through the battle itself to the reflection of the second movement. The words in the second section are taken from Psalm 27 - a highly suitable text with regard to the subject matter. In the music I did not wish to glorify the bloodshed of the battlefield, but rather to depict it through the music; above all the work ends with a hope for peace. The work is also a memorial to Olfert Fischer and his efforts as a commodore in the Danish Navy on the block-ship »Dannebrog« during the battle.

(English translation: Gwyn Hodgson)

If you should be interested in the score and parts for this piece, please contact me for further information.
Notice that even though you may download and listen to the music for free, all rights still belongs to me and the performers (who have all given their permissions).

I hope you will enjoy the music and please write your comments and/or reviews here in this thread, if you like.

Re: »The Hope« for Brass, Organ, Percussion & Choir: download

It's a very powerful piece! The atmosphere in the first part is so intense I can almost feel the battle taking place. The second (choral) part is very moving and there are some beautiful passages. I have heard it several times and every time I notice something new. Excellent!

This is great Federik. Thanks for posting it. It has some similarities to LOTR but predates the Fellowship ofthe Ring by several months. Was Howard Shore in the audience? :-) Well done!
When I downloaded, I only go the first part. Tried again and the same thing happened. I really would like to hear the choral part. Is there some other way I can hear or down load it?

Thanks for bringing this problem to my attention sondance! It seems that there has been a server problem so only the first half could be downloaded (I'm very unhappy to think of all the people that has downloaded this for the last weeks or maybe even months and have only gotten the first half). Very strange, but I have now moved it to a different server so it should work now. Please try again and let me know if you still experience any problems. The new URL is www.cyberorganist.com/audio/frederik_magle-the_hope.mp3

Re: »The Hope« for Brass, Organ, Percussion & Choir: download

Hi Frederik once again superb. I down loaded this in 1min 32 sec's, both parts no problems and the quality is excellent. I am playing it back with 6.1 sourround sound it's wow! Cheers Sparky

Originally Posted by Frederik Magle

Thanks for bringing this problem to my attention sondance! It seems that there has been a server problem so only the first half could be downloaded (I'm very unhappy to think of all the people that has downloaded this for the last weeks or maybe even months and have only gotten the first half). Very strange, but I have now moved it to a different server so it should work now. Please try again and let me know if you still experience any problems. The new URL is www.cyberorganist.com/audio/frederik_magle-the_hope.mp3

Especially the large bass-drums placed just behind the audience to give the illusion of cannon-fire! During rehearsal two bass drums were destroyed - the score calls for a fffff...

lmao.... fab... and as a percussionist, I'd love to play it!! Both myself and my husband put our thumbs up to you and pat you on your back for the dynamic... too many brass banders would hate it, especially bass players... me, love it!

The piece is truely inspirational... as a brass bander and composer for the idiom, I really appreciate this music a lot... the organ works so well with the brass instruments as well... LOVE the loud percussion... the piece wouldn't have it's impact without it.

When the choir enters, it's just beautiful... love the chords and the movement in general... very moving.

The picture you create is just of what you are after.... which is great.... there's so many "new" composers coming out with these titles and they say what picture they are trying to protray and don't quite full it off.... but you do this with style and ease in your writing.

A moving piece, with definition and style.... thank you for an enjoyable listen

sparky, thanks - I'm very glad yo like it and it's great to hear that it works well in 6.1 surround as well!

Naomi, thank you so much for that wonderful comment/review. I truly appreciate your professional opinion and kind words, it makes me very happy!

Btw, sorry about my sometimes late replies. I hope you forgive me as they are not caused by indifference - on the contrary! I prefer not to rush replying. But my work-load (and the doctors' orders) sometimes makes it impossible to answer right away (that also goes for emails/private messages).

thank you for the exciting experience: especially the first part (6'15") with its almost 'realistic' sounds did really build up to a climax -whereafter the more traditional choral part occurred to work on me a little bit 'simple' (?)
Nevertheless an total-production of outstanding quality - thank you again!
hennavank 161206

Hennavank, I appreciate your feedback very much and I'm glad you find the first movement exciting. The choral parts of the second movement are indeed "simpler" but that is intentional, increasing their contrast and providing a sort of "time out" of reflexion from the ongoing battle. Perhaps some of them could have been even more subdued and distant yet intense (also production wise) to emphasize that, and perhaps there's room for some minor revisions. With that said, not least the ending (starting at approx. 11:12 and the build-up up to the pinnacle at 12:42) I do consider very good in my own humble opinion